bliffle

I tested fuel pump pressure and that's not it.

redfb

yeah i jumped my pump and i could hear it going strong, on an update i can get it to stay running if i keep it above 3k now but if it dips under it dies. Then i finally got it to stay running and then i cut it off and got it running again....so i bolted up the pump to go to the gas station and then it cooled down a bit and now it won't stay running under 3k again.

blackdeath647

iTrader: (2)

been reading this for a while and i hate it for you guys, ...have you tried retarding or advancing the timing a bit and see if that helps at all? ...just an idea i really hope you guys get this figured out, it sounds like a bitch . . . hmm

redfb

i haven't tried that yet, i was thinking about it today as i was looking at the distributor wondering if that'd do anything

blackdeath647

iTrader: (2)

like i said just an idea, i really have no clue what it could be, but surely if the timing helps it should lead you on to other conclussions...i'm learning as i go so this is my way of learning about troubleshooting and stuff...mine's not an SE but surely knowing stuff like this will help

bliffle

I shot the bug tonight! Took about 15 minutes after I thought about it while hiking through the mountains today.

Look here:

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...=1#post8244467

Bottom line: it was an ignitor that passed the old static light test. So I put a big red "X" on it with nail polish.

redfb

i have an inline spark tester. I was going to use it the other day too but my wife couldn't help me start the car so i didn't...when you say it was the ignitor, do you mean the coilpack if not where is this located?

bliffle

There are two 'ignitors' mounted on the outside of the distributor, one towards the front (toward the radiator) the other at the top (toward the alternator). Each is about 1.5" square and about 1/4"thick, and they are black. Each is held in place by a pair of phillips head screws that are a bear to get at unless you have a rightangle screwdriver. I use a little cheap ratchet that I get at the checkout counter of the autostore or Tru Value hardware ($6) and one of those hex drive 1/4" replaceable bits. Even with the rightangle it's hard to access the top ignitor unless you pivot the alternator upwards out of the way by loosening the pivot bolt with a 14mm and removing the cinch bolt with a 12mm, undo the v-belt and pivot upwards. The ignitor is a solid state device (transistors) that uses the weak pulse from the magnetic pickup to trigger a bigger current through the coil primary to supply the magnetic field in the coil core that, upon interruption, causes a giant voltage in the coil secondary (because the primary has just a few turns around the core while the secondary has many more, like a thousand times more) so the coil has a transformer-like voltage multiplier effect. That giant voltage is enough to leap the sparkplug gap and detonate a fuel charge.

The ignitor sees severe duty because it's subjected to high currents and it's in a hot place.

There is a traditional static test pictured in the FSM that uses a couple wires, a battery and a lightbulb to 'ring out' the ignitor circuit on the bench, i.e., out of the car.

Heat causes solidstate devices to age prematurely so it's important for the ignitor to be able to dissipate heat to the metal it's mounted on so those surfaces should be clean to make good contact, and also should have some grease on it which is good at conducting heat (special heatsink grease available at electronics stores). Even so, the mount gets pretty hot from engine heat so it's only an improvement, not a cure. Eventually that ignitor will fail.

redfb

will an FD non turbo ignitor work on my gsl-se?

or the ones from a 12a..i seem to find those on ebay cheap

bliffle

All the 1981-1985 ignitors are the same: J109.

redfb

after 2 months i figured out it was the ignitors, bliffle you are the man!